NYPD Has Bike-Law Cheat Sheet to Better Ticket Cyclists

Streetsblog.org has obtained the above "cheat sheet," which they claim has been "circulated" by the NYPD beginning in February as part of "Operation Safe Cycle," an initiative ostensibly about promoting responsible riding, but which many alternative transportation advocates see as an assault on cyclists' rights. We've chronicled some of the outrage stemming from huge fines for minor infractions like speeding and not using available bike lanes. Streetsblog claims that a few of these so-called traffic laws don't even exist.

According to Streetsblog, "The sheet tells cops they can issue tickets for violating sections 1234 (a), (b), and (c) of the state's vehicle and traffic law, which require cyclists to either ride in a bike lane or along the right side of the road, to ride no more than two abreast, and to come to a stop before turning onto a road from a driveway. None of those rules, however, apply in New York City."

There's much more on the nitty-gritty of the laws, including a lawyer saying that a judge wouldn't hesitate to wipe clean tickets that shouldn't apply according to the state legislature.

The NYPD has not responded to a request for comment about the cheat sheet.

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Sounds good. I'll just keep my "Police Cheat Sheet" with me at all times and report any police cars for infractions like parking in the bike lane (without lights or siren to indicate Police activity) and parking directly in front of a fire hydrant

(without lights or siren to indicate Police activity). I'm pretty sure if I could collect on those 2 fines alone, I'd be able to pay off every cycling ticket in the city and have enough left over to buy some bikes to donate to kids.